Feb 22, 2016 3 min read

Jarod Verkleeren is in a difficult situation.

The junior from Belle Vernon will not compete at 145 pounds in Saturday’s WPIAL Class AAA Section Tournament because of a problem in the final weigh-in at the PIAA Team Tournament in Hershey last week.

Verkleeren, a Cadet World champion, wrestled up a weight class in the PIAA tournament and his final weigh-in was too high for him to get down to qualify to wrestle at 145 pounds. The PIAA instituted a weight-management system for all wrestlers a few years ago to curb the practice of massive weight loss to qualify at a lower class. Wrestlers are permitted only to lose a percentage of their weight each week. When Verkleeren weighed for Saturday’s final day of competition at the PIAA Team Tournament, his weight-management plan would not allow him to get to 149.1 pounds required to be eligible for 145. The PIAA allows weight allowances during the season to allow for growth, which is why 149 still qualifies for the 145-pound weight class.

Verkleeren does qualify to wrestle at 152 or 160, but Verkleeren’s brother, Derek, is at 152 and Mitch Hartman is at 160.

For Jarod Verkleeren to wrestle at one of those weights, Belle Vernon head coach Mike Doppelheuer would have to hold eliminations.

Doppelheuer is referring all comment on the situation to Superintendent Dr. John Wilkinson.

One problem with holding eliminations was timing. Lineup submissions were due yesterday.

Usually, head coaches hold eliminations at specific times during the season.

It’s rare for that to happen so close to the individual postseason.

Verkleeren was obviously upset by the issue.

“One of the best practices I had all year today and just knowing I can’t compete crushes me completely,” he Tweeted.

“Ability to wrestle for a State Title this year = Taken. Love for the sport of Wrestling = Never Taken,” he wrote in another Tweet.

The WPIAL Class AA Championships will be held Friday and Saturday at South Fayette High School. First-day action gets under way at 5 p.m. Semifinals are at 11:30 a.m. Saturday with the finals at 7 p.m.

Derry state champion George Phillippi is gunning for his fourth WPIAL and would become only the 26th wrestler in WPIAL history to accomplish that.

Other returning champions are South Park’s state champions Jake Wentzel and Greg Bulsak; South Fayette defending state champion Mike Carr; Jefferson-Morgan state champion Gavin Teasdale and Bill Bowlen; Bentworth’s Hunter Neely; Jeannette’s Gio Vonne Sanders; Burrell’s Robert Scherer and McGuffey’s Gage Nicolella

The Section 4-AAA Tournament at Trinity and the Section 2-AAA Tournament at Ringgold each begin at 9:30 a.m. with the finals at 6 p.m.